Role of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in Disaster Management

The importance of timely disaster warning in mitigating negative impacts can never be underestimated. Although damage to property cannot be avoided, some of the developed countries have been able to reduce loss of life much more effectively than developing countries mainly because of the implementation of effective disaster warning systems and evacuation procedures.

For instance, during the Hurricane Katrina, although the economic loss and damage to property were much higher, the number of deaths was remarkably less than that resulting from the Indian Ocean tsunami in Sri Lanka and India. This was largely because the effective disaster warning systems were not in place in Sri Lanka and India.

Information and Communication Technology (ICT) play a significant role in highlighting risk areas, vulnerabilities and potentially affected populations by producing geographically referenced analysis through a geographic information system (GIS).  The role of information technology can be divided into three broad categories as follows:

• Channels that spread disaster warning to vulnerable communities.
• GIS (Geographical Information System)
• Remote Sensing

Channels for Disaster warning

This includes Radio and Television, Mobile Telephony and Fixed Phones, SMS, cell broadcasting, Satellite Radio, Internet / email and Amateur Radio. Each of them has played specific role in several instances.

GIS

GIS can be loosely defined as a system of hardware and software used for storage, retrieval, mapping and analysis of geographic data. This data is mainly of two types vis. Spatial data and descriptive attributes.

Spatial features are stored in a coordinate system (latitude, longitude, state, plane, etc.) that references a particular place on the earth. Descriptive attributes in tabular form are associated with spatial features. Spatial data and associated attributes in the same coordinate system can then be layered together for mapping and analysis.

GIS can be used for scientific investigations, resource management and development planning. As disaster management work usually involves a large number of different agencies working in different areas, the need for detailed geographical information in order to make critical decisions is high.

By utilizing a GIS, agencies involved in the response can share information through databases on computer-generated maps in one location. Without this capability, disaster management workers have to access a number of department managers, their unique maps and their unique data. Most disasters do not allow time to gather these resources. GIS thus provides a mechanism to centralize and visually display critical information during an emergency.

Remote Sensing

Remote sensing is the measurement or acquisition of information about an object or phenomenon by a recording device that is not in physical or intimate contact with the object.

Remote Sensing is not used in isolation but in synergy with the GIS in disaster management. There is an obvious advantage to using a map with remote sensing or GIS inputs instead of a static geographical map. A static map is mostly analogous and is not interactive. On the other hand, a vulnerability map with GIS input provides dynamic information with cause and effect relationship.